The Kremlin Strike
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ☆
The Kremlin Strike (Patrick McLanahan, Book 23) by Dale Brown
A night-and-day experience. 🌙☀️
This book feels split right down the middle. The first half spends a lot of time setting the stage, repositioning characters in the aftermath of The Moscow Offensive while introducing a flood of new technologies, weapons, and aircraft. Honestly, there are so many new devices and systems thrown in early on that I started to worry The Kremlin Strike was going to be another Starfire: all setup, no payoff.
Then about halfway through, everything shifts, and the intensity gets dialed up to eleven.
The entire second half is basically two massive set pieces: an extended search-and-rescue mission followed by a climactic space battle with an ending that will surprise long-time fans.
The only real drawback, and it’s a big one, is Dale Brown’s heavy reliance on military jargon. I get it: specific plane models, weapon calibers, and radar systems are part of his signature style, and usually I enjoy that level of detail. But here, it bogs things down, especially once the action accelerates. With so many new technologies introduced in the first half suddenly colliding in the second, it’s easy to get lost in the acronyms and technical specs. When multiple planes, ships, weapons, and locations are all in play, sometimes clarity matters more than precision. By the end, I found myself thinking: Forget the details, just tell me if it’s American or Russian.
Side note: While the McLanahan series often dips into near-future tech with a light sci-fi touch, I’d love to see Dale Brown go all-in on a true hard science fiction novel. With his military expertise and knack for fast-paced action, I think he could deliver some interstellar warfare that’s actually compelling, something the genre often struggles with.
